Depositing apparatus and method



Oct. 3, 1961 w. G. TURNER ET AL 3,002,655

DEPOSITING APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed April 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l W/ 4/// 4///////u/ b Fig 1. +3

'7 Bizalum (H, (4mm 72 F 2 ,INVENTORS .9 CHARLES KLEIN wl LlAM a. TURNER AT TOMEYS Oct. 3, 1961 w. G. TURNER ET AL 3,002,655

DEPOSITING APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed April 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CHARLES KLEIN TURNER 73 M M v-TJM ATTORNEYS Filed Apr. 19, 1957, Ser. No. 653,782, 13 Claims. (Cl. 222-- -l) This invention relates to apparatus for depositing a layer of finely divided material of the type having a tendency to bridge, arch and pack.

In the flock coating art, it has heretofore been custommy to deposit flock fibres onto a moving adhesive web by screening the same from a hopper. However, the flock fibres, even when dry, sometimes adhere to each other, forin bunches and plug the meshes of the screen. Of late novel designs have been secured by preforming flock fibres in clumps of predetermined size and depositing the same at a predetermined degree of wetness onto the surface to be decorated. It has been found that such wet clumps are diflicult to deposit in a controlled pattern because of their inherent tendency to cling together in the hopper and bridge over the openings of the depositing apparatus.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for depositing such material wherein the mass is stationary but the under face thereof is supported along spaced deformable, resilient strands adapted to be continually deformed, stretched and released laterally to break up any bridges while supporting and metering the material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hopper outlet covered by a row of parallel stretches of deformable, resilient strand elements with parallel dispensing passages therebetween, the strands and passages normally forming an outlet closure but passing measured quantities therethrough when the strands are repeatedly deformed, Stretched and released in the plane of the row of strands.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanical means for metering controlled quantities of damp fiock fibre clumps onto a moving layer of adhesive without stoppage due to aching, bridging or packing of the clumps.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of dispensing flock type material in a predetermined pattern which method includes continually deforming, stretching and releasing the bottom support of the material to disrupt bridges and arches resting thereon.

A still further object of the invention is to provide depositing apparatus having a bottom meshwork formed of at least one row of deformable, yieldable, resilient, individual strands together with means for deforming, stretching and releasing the strands in a predetermined pattern for displacing or varying the passages between the strands.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the claims, the description of the drawing and from the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevation of the invention with parts broken away.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the invention with parts broken away.

FIG. 3 is an end view in section on line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

. FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic fragmentary rear view of a modification.

As shown in the drawing, 20 represents the frame of the depositing apparatus 21 of the invention. An endless iveb 22 is depicted having a layer of adhesive of any well atenft known type 23, the web being advanced by any convenient means not shown and well known in the flock coating art. It will be understood that flock coating usually comprises depositing a plurality of short flock fibres on the adhesive 23; then vibrating the web 22 by a polygonal roll 24 to cause static electricity to raise the fibres into vertical position with their lower ends embedded in the layer 23. Thereafter the adhesive is usually permanently set in an ovento create a permanent fibrous pile on the web. Usually a hopper with a vibrating screen or the like is used to deposit the dry flock fibres but such screens tend to plug especially if the fibres are damp or if preformed damp fibrous clumps are to be deposited.

In this invention, a hopper 25 is provided extending laterally across the web 22 at a spaced distance thereabove. Hopper 25 includes upstanding side walls 26 and 27, tapered end walls 28 and 29 and a bottom outlet 32. A bottom or closure for outlet 32 is formed by a single row 33 of deformable, individual, elements such as 34, which are preferably flexible, resilient strands. The strands 34 may be ordinary rubber bands, or the like, supported on spaced hooks such as 35 depending from the under edges of the side walls 26 and 27. Preferably the strands 34 are parallel and closely spaced at equal distances apart to form passages 36 between each pair of adjacent strands. The passages 36 may be normally closed if desired, but with material subject to arching, bridging and packing, such as flock fibres, the passages may be normally open without emptying the contents of the hopper.

The strands 34 are stretched taut laterally of the hopper 25 and serve to support the underface of the mass of material therein along spaced, parallel lines of support which are displaceable in the plane of the row 33 of strands. Although in the embodiment shown the strands are anchored at each opposite end by the hooks 35 and are flexible intermediate of the hooks, they could be anchored at the centre and flexible at the ends. The passages 36 are downwardly directed to permit material, supported above the strands 34 in hopper 25, to fall therethrough by gravity alone when the strands are displaced laterally to disrupt the arches and bridges normally occur" ring above the passages. The hooks 35 may be Ordinary belt lacing hooks with elastic rubber bands looped therearound at each opposite end and the rubber bands may be spaced from each other the same distance as the space between the stretches of each individual band. It should be noted that the plurality of individual deformable strands 34 may be uniformly and simultaneously displaced laterally of web 22 or certain zones thereof may be displaced according to a predetermined pattern or the strands can be individually and successively displaced depending on the pattern of deposit desired.

The preferred form of flexing, or displacing, means for the strands 34 is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 and includes at least one rigid rod 4% slideable laterally of web 22 and longitudinally of hopper 25 in apertures 41 and 42 of frame 26. Preferably rod 40 is beneath the longitudinal centre line of hopper 25 and coextensive therewith. (A plurality of upstanding teeth, or fingers, such as 43 are spaced along the rod, or carrier, at with each tooth extending upwardly into a passage 36 of an adjacent pair of strands 34 to engage at least one strand. The teeth 43 may also project further upwardly into the hopper 25 above the level of the outlet 32 and strand row 33 to assist in breaking up any packing of the material in the hopper. Rod 4b is reciprocated by a crank arm 4-4 and crank member 45, the latter being carried by a shaft 46 rotatable in bearings 48 mounted on a framepiece 49. Shaft 46 carries a pulley 51 for a belt 52 trained around a pulley 53 powered by a motor 54 supported on framepiece 55. The speed of motor 54 may be varied by a suitable rheostat not shown and the crank member 45 is provided with a number of apertures 56 forchanging the throw of crank arm 44 whereby the speed and amount of reciprocation of the rod 40 may be varied as desired. r Distributing means within hopper 25 includes a support in the form of an endless carrier such as chain 58 trained around sprockets 59 and 60 at opposite ends of the hopper. The sprockets 59 and 6d are mounted on shafts 61 and 62 rotatable in bearings 63 and 64 supported across the top of the hopper on side walls 26 and 27 by bars such as 65 and 66. A pulley 67 carried by shaft 61' is rotated by belts 68 and drive pulley 6? of a motor 70 carried on the hopper 25 whereby the chain 58 advances unidirectionally along an endless path coextensive with the hopper 25 and at a spaced distance above outlet 32. Spaced along chain 53 are downwardly depending leveling fingers such as 72 of thin rod-like material and preferably hooked at 73 to form a horizontal terminal end 74 also at a spaced distance, such .as one or two inches, above the level or plane of outlet 32 and the row of strands 33. The fingers 72 are preferably of round cross section and not designed to un- ,duly agitate or push the material in hopper 25 or to sweep across the passages 36 since such action would also force material downwardly through the passages in an uncontrolled manner. Instead the fingers '72 operate only well above the outlet passages to urge the material in hopper 25 into level condition whereby no zone of the row 33 of resilient strands contains too much or too little volume of the material. The leveling fingers 72 .travel in a closed horizontal path parallel to the row 33 of strands 34.

In operation, flock type material is fed to hopper 25 manually or by gravity from a suitable trough and masses on the strands 34 which form a substantially closed bottom because of the packing tendency of the material. Actuation of motor 70 causes the fingers 72 to continuously move laterally of web 22 through the upper portion of the mass to gradually level off the same without forcing material through passages 36. Actuation of motor 54 causes rod 40 and teeth 43 to displace the strands 34 laterally of web 22 in one direction by elastic deformation and stretching and then release stress on the strands for elastic resilience to return the strands to undeformed condition. The teeth 43 then again elastically deform and stretch the strands to a similar displaced below.

It is preferred that a flexible apron 77 be mounted between the outlet 32 and the adhesive layer 23 as best shown in FIG. 3. Apron 77 is fixed at its rearward end 78 proximate the adjacent side wall such as 26 of hopper '25 and thence inclines downwardly and forwardly in the path of material falling through passages 36 to a transverse support 79 and a polygonal roll 80. The forward lower end 81 of apron 77 is weighted and positioned just above the layer 23. The vibration of apron 77 by the continuously rotating polygonal roll 80 causes material deposited on the apron to distribute itself even more 'evenly into a uniform layer before it is finally deposited on the layer 23 of web 22. Roll 80 is journalled at 82 and 83in frame 20 and carries a pulley 84 rotated by a belt 85 trained around a pulley 86 carried by polygonal roll 24. Roll 24 is the usual roll of a flock coating machine and is journalled at 8-9 and 90 in frame 20. It is driven by pulley 31 which in turn is driven by belt 92 and pulley 93 of a motor 94.

.As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4, flexing means "for the strands 34 may operate to first deform the strands and then'allow the same to rebound back to their original position with a snap by their inherent resiliency.

. .4' This operation, which is similar to successively, or simultaneously, picking or plucking the strings of a musical instrument, involves slight movement of the strands in a vertical plane as well as in the plane of the row of strands which is particularly useful with damp clumps of flock fibres. A rod 96, having a uniformly undnlated upper face 37, instead of separate teeth 43 may be mounted on links such as 98 and 99 whereby it will repeatedly move the strands 34 to and fro laterally while releasing the strands at each opposite extremity of their path to snap back to normal position.

Similarly as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 5 the rod 40 may be entirely eliminated and the flexing 'of 'the strands 34 may be accomplished from above byn'iear'is of chain 58. A plurality of drag fingers such as 102 are substituted for the leveling fingers 72, each finger 102 having a trailing, up-curved, terminal hooked portion 103 adapted to slightly depress the strands 34. Thus the strands 34 are individually and successively flexed and displaced laterally in various zones of the hopperZS and each rebounds successively with a snap to dislodge any arches or bridges in the material. The area of the passages 36 is increased and decreased by this action which tends to dispense the material in controlled striations in a repeat pattern. Such striations may form the final pattern or the apron 77 may be used to eliminate the same and disperse the striations into an even layer.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 6 a single row of strands 165, similar to row 33 may be fixed in angularly displaced position across outlet 32 and a second row 107,

of such strands may be fixed thereabove in another angular displaced position. The meshwork 108 formed there by is fine and will support finely divided material of many types. A rod such as 40 having its teeth 43 in engagement with the strands of either or both rows will displace the individual strands laterally in the planev of their respective rows to meter a controlled amount of material while agitating the undersurface of the mass and eliminating any packing, bridging or arching therein.

We claim:

1. A hopper having a bottom formed of at least one row of spaced, parallel, resilient elements having downwardly directed passages therebetween, said elements forming a substantially closed bottom for supporting material in said hopper and power driven, mechanical, flexing meansfor alternately stretching and unstretching said resilient elements in the plane of said bottom to continually laterally displace the under support of material in said hopper while discharging material through said passages.

2. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said resilient elements are resilient strands anchored at each opposite end, to the under sides of said hopper, and flexible intermediate thereof.

3. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said resilient elements are rubber bands looped at each opposite end around hooks extending along the under sides of said hopper.

4. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said power driven, mechanical, flexing means includes a rod extending along said bottom; spaced teeth along said rod, each tooth engaging one of said elements, but not aflixed thereto and mechanism for reciprocating said rod in a plane parallelto the plane of said bottom.

5. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said resilient elements are rubber strands anchored at each opposite end with a flexible portion intermediate thereof and said flexing means comprises a movable carrier extending across said hopper bottom, a plurality of spaced fingers mounted on said carrier in engagement with said elements and mechanism for moving said carrier relative to said hopper.

6. A combination as specified in claim 1 ting means within said hopper, said distributing means comprising asupport continuously moving across said hopper, and a plurality of leveling members spaced along said support and operable at a spaced distance above said bottom.

7. A combination as specified in claim 6 wherein said support comprises an endless chain continuously moving in a horizontal plane and said leveling members comprise a plurality of spaced, thin, hooked, leveling fingers depending therefrom each terminating at a spaced distance above said bottom.

8. Apparatus for depositing fine material on a horizontally moving web, said apparatus comprising an elongated, stationary hopper having upstanding Walls for confining a mass of said material, a hopper bottom formed of at least one row of individual resilient elements having passages therebetween said elements and passages extending laterally of said hopper and said elements normally supporting the contents of said hopper and power driven, mechanical flexing means, coextensive longitudinally with said hopper, for alternately stretching and unstretching said resilient elements successively in individual longitudinal zones of said hopper to vary the area of said passages and to meter predetermined quantities of material onto said Web in accordance with a predetermined pattern.

9. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 plus an inclined flexible apron adapted to receive material discharged through a passage and guide the same downwardly toward said moving Web, and a polygonal roll, continuously revolving in engagement with the undersurface of said apron for agitating and vibrating the same.

10. Apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein said hopper bottom includes two rows of said resilient elements, the elements of one row being above and angularly displaced from, the elements of the other row and said passages mutually forming a fine meshwork adapted to be flexed in the respective planes thereof by said flexing means.

11. The method of depositing a uniform layer of finely divided material onto a moving web from beneath a mass of such material supported above said web by a plurality of spaced, parallel, elastomeric elements which comprises the steps of mechanically stretching and deforming said elements from rectilinear to angular configuration substantially in the plane thereof and then releasing said elements to snap and rebound from angular to rectilinear configuration substantially in the plane thereof.

12. Apparatus for depositing wet clumps of flock fibre, said apparatus comprising a hopper having an elastomeric, cross meshed bottom formed of individual, resilient elements for supporting a mass of said clumps and mechanical means periodically stretching portions of said resilient elements angularly a uniform amount and then releasing said elements to snap back to unstretched condition for metering said material while disrupting packing thereof proximate said bottom.

13. Depositing apparatus comprising a hopper having a bottom outlet; at least one row of uniformly spaced individual, resilient, flexible elements mounted in parallelism across said outlet, said elements being relatively closely spaced with a downwardly directed passage between each adjacent pair thereof and normally forming a closure for said outlet capable of supporting the contents of said hopper and power driven, mechanical flexing means co-extensive with said outlet and operable transversely of said elements and of said passages to alternately stretch and release said resilient elements for metering material through said passages while disrupting material bridges formed above said passages.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,803,521 Bergerioux May 21, 1931 2,008,247 First lluly 16, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 409,427 Germany Feb. 9, 1925 

